Friday, December 31, 2010

I'm also quite fond of making crochet items that then sell for cold hard cash.

So, when those two loves intersected recently, it was a lovely late Christmas present for me.

Monday night, I received an e-mail from a friend of mine. I met her through my husband, (she and her husband had been friends with my Eric for years and years) and liked her immediately. The limited interaction that I had with her convinced me that she was "my kind of person", but it took awhile for us to get around to lining up our schedules to actually spend some time together. (Interestingly enough, the catalyst for all that was when we found each other's respective blogs and started commenting there.) Over the summer, we were able to get to know each other more, and I found that I enjoyed her company every bit as much as I had thought I would.

And then, as things go sometimes, she moved across the country, from Utah to Michigan, and now we interact mostly through our blogs again.

So, when I got an e-mail from her regarding this scarf, which she wished to purchase for her sister-in-law (in Alaska!), it was a real treat for me.

Monday, December 27, 2010

Let me just say that, I loveRed Heart Super Saver yarn for afghans. Furthermore, I have yet to find a more economical yarn than Red Heart Super Saver. But, that age-old adage definitely applies here, and when you buy Super Saver yarn, you get what you pay for.

To illustrate and just for fun, I'll share a little exchange my husband and I had a week or so ago. We were running errands together around town. I had just dropped off some mustaches that I'd made up, and in the exchange, I'd picked up some more yarn from my supplier. As I brought it back to the car, Eric picked it up, felt the softness of it, and said, "So this is what you use for the mustaches huh? It's pretty soft." Then, with surprise, "Oh, it's red heart."

To which I replied, pointing to the label, "It's red heart soft. The red heart I usually use is red heart sandpaper."

All joking aside though, I use Super Saver yarn for the vast majority of my afghans (though I use it for none of my baby blankets). Super Saver comes in a full rainbow of colors, you absolutely can't beat the price, and although the texture is a little rough when compared to many of the other yarn options out there, I've found that once I've washed any of my super saver afghans a time or two, they soften up considerably.

In short, Super Saver yarn is very welcome in my yarn stash, and at a price of around $2 for a giant no-dye-lot 8 oz skein, it's my go-to yarn for any of my big afghan projects.

Here are some of the deets:

Type: Red Heart Super Saver
Fiber Content: 100% Acrylic
Weight: Worsted Weight
Care Instructions: Machine wash warm; tumble dry; do not bleach; do not iron; dry cleanable
Places you can purchase this yarn: Pretty much anywhere. I tend towards Wal-Mart, just because that's where I find the best price.
Price: Around $2 to $2.50 per 8 oz skein

And because I get a kick out of seeing them all together, here's a little collage of some of the afghans I've made using Red Heart Super Saver yarn:

Monday, December 20, 2010

A little over a year ago, I gave one of my neighbors a sweater and hat set just like this for her soon to be born baby girl.

.

Remembering how quickly infants grow, and how they spend most of their time covered up with blankets anyway, I purposely made the set in the 12-18 month size, figuring that it would fit the baby perfectly the next time winter came around.

(That would be now.)

So, you can imagine my joy when last Sunday, as I was sitting in church waiting for our services to start, I looked back and saw this mother carrying her almost one-year-old baby who just happened to be wearing "my" hat and sweater. It was the first time I'd seen it on her, and I'm not exaggerating in the least when I say that she looked absolutely adorable.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

That's really just a fancy way of saying that I'm going to be seeing many of my nieces and nephews in a few weeks, and I'm going to bribe them to wear my hats and stuff while I shoot pictures of them.

Taking photos for the etsy shop is one of the banes of my existence. (That and coming up with tags for my items. Who's with me on this one?) I'm not a confident photographer, and yet, I've seen firsthand that the better the picture, the more sales I get. I've toyed with the idea of getting an arrangement with a professional photographer where he/she takes photos of my items and then I let him/her keep samples of whatever they want, and I imagine that at some point I will at least try that out. It hasn't been my biggest priority however, and so it hasn't risen to the top of my "get this done" pile yet.

However, last summer I tried something new. I took a bunch of hats to our annual family reunion, and had a little photo shoot with my family members there on the mountain. I was pleased with the results, very pleased, to be honest.

The kids enjoyed putting on the hats and posing for me, and I rewarded them with bubble wands, further cementing my "favorite-or-at-least-one-of-the-favorites" aunt status.

So, for Christmas this year, I'm hoping to do more of the same. Hopefully, I'll be able to convince some of my siblings and their spouses to get in on the action as well this year, since I have more grown-up accessories this time around, and I think my shop is getting a little heavy with Charlotte and Eric photos.

As for my payment/bribe/reward this time? I think bubble wands might be a little less appreciated in December (and where would I buy them anyway?), so I'm leaning towards setting up a little hot chocolate party--with hot chocolate, whipped creme (that you spray out of the can, of course!), chocolate sprinkles, rainbow sprinkles, chocolate shavings, cinnamon, candy canes (for stirring and then flavoring the chocolate), and perhaps some (but probably not all) of what is suggested here. Thinking back to my childhood, I'm just sure that little Charlotte would have loved to participate in something like that. (Heck, I'm pretty sure that big Charlotte is going to love it as well!)

So, we'll see how that all comes out I guess. At the very least, I think it will make a good memory for a group of people that I love, and whether I get some good pictures or not, a good memory is never something to take for granted, right?

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

. . . and a few others that are the same base color but with different flowers and trim.

I was planning to finish those up and get them photographed and posted here and on etsy.com, but then on Monday, a company where I do some contract work was slammed with orders, and so I've been busy working on their inventory. The work isn't all that creative, since I make the same item (a crochet mustache) over and over and over again, but I have to admit, it's really nice to be crocheting something for compensation without having to take pictures, choose etsy tags, write up a peppy description, post it to facebook, get an order, package it up and send it out. Of course, the latter method is more rewarding on an internal level, but sometimes it's nice to get paid for just crocheting, without having to do all that extra stuff that goes along with the etsy shop.

:)

I actually have a day job where I earn part of the money that pays our mortgage and keeps our heat on, so I'm able to put any crocheting money I earn in my daughter's education fund. It may sound weird, but I've really loved watching the balance in that account climb by $10 here and $10 there because of this little crocheting windfall.

I think back to when I was ten years old, and my mom was teaching me how to crochet by helping me make my very own manta*. Selling my "wares" was the furthest thing from my mind back then, and probably rightly so. Now though, thanks to the internet, and some very inventive people out in Brooklyn, NY, I can do just that.

Lucky, lucky me.

*Most people would call this a poncho, but my father always called them mantas, which is a term he picked up while he was living in Chile while he was a Mormon Missionary there. So, that's what I call them too.

Monday, December 6, 2010

As I've thought over how I might review the yarns that I use most, I've decided to start with what is probably my very favorite yarn, in terms of value for the price, which is Caron Simply Soft.

I use Caron Simply Soft yarn for most of my children and infant hats, basic scarves, and baby blankets. As the name implies, it's softer than many yarns, which makes it ideal for these projects. The 6 oz skeins come with the benefit of a no dye lot option, which means I can buy them in 2-3 skeins at a time, rather than feeling the need to buy out a whole die lot anytime I'm starting a project. Best of all, my local Wal-Mart carries it for $2.97 per skein, and will special order any colors that they don't stock, if I just call them. (I've learned that it's best not to call in December though--those people are run ragged in December, and I end up spending a lot of time on hold.).

So, with that overview, here are some facts for the "drill down to the meat" people:

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Thanksgiving weekend was great. I ate, laughed,played with family, and participated in a trade event on Friday and Saturday, which resulted in some really fun trades. Rather than put up another collage of what I'm getting, I thought this time, I'd just highlight two of the trades that I'm most excited about.

I'm adding this Waldorf-inpired star to my collection. This will be my fifth one, and I'm planning to hang them from fishing wire from the curtain rods in my little girls room. Originally I was planning to attach them to the window, but we've been in cold/flu/cough mode around here, which is also humidifier/vaporizer mode, which means that the windows in the bedrooms have a fair amount of condensation on them. So, I'm thinking that hanging from the curtain rod is a better plan than trying to stick to the window. I'm hoping to get that project done this weekend, so perhaps I'll have pictures to show off soon. We'll see.

Next is this lovely dress, made and sold by SewOriginal. I'll be getting it in a size 3T, in hopes that when it gets warm enough around here to wear a fun springy dress, my little girl will be just the right size for this one.

Sew fun!

(I know, my puns are just amazing, aren't they?)

As for crocheting, I've been working on some Christmas gifts for my sister (as in, my sister is giving them to some of her in-laws). Hats & scarves mainly. As I've been putting together the color combinations and sizes that she needs, I've been making a few extra of each (with some variances for colors) to list in the etsy shop. I've found that some of mymostpopularitems have been things that I've created based on specific requests from customers or family. Win/Win!

So that's what I've got for today. I'm hoping to do a post with some brief yarn reviews soon, listing some of my favorite yarns, and what I use them for. So, you'll definitely want to stay tuned for that.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

In case you couldn't tell, I'm in a scarf mood lately. I love love love scarves. There's something about having a nice soft scarf around my neck that helps me keep warm from my head to my toes. Some days (usually Saturdays) I'll go around all day with a scarf around my neck. I find that they are particularly helpful in the evenings when my house is just cool enough so that I'm uncomfortable, but not so cold that I feel like (spending the money by) turning up the heat. When that's the case, sometimes all it takes is one little scarf around my neck, and I'm good to putter around until bedtime.

So, since I'm in a scarf mood today, I thought I'd post some links to some scarf patterns that I've been hankering to work up.

I still enjoy the one-on-one gifts of course, whether they be to people I know or people I don't, and I love to see someone's eyes light up when I've managed to give them something that they really treasure. But, there is also a sweet satisfaction in a gift quietly given. I imagine you know what I mean.

Anyway, because there are so many options for charitable crocheting out there, I'm going to try something new around here. Every 2-3 months (if I stay on top of it) I'm going to research and highlight a charitable organization that utilizes crocheters to fulfill its mission. I'm hoping that in doing that, I'll end up with a nice database of charitable options for myself, and if it helps someone else out there, then well, I definitely won't complain about that.

So, today I'd like to highlight Angles for Hope as my first crochet charity feature.

What they do: Angels for hope offers free crocheted angels (and butterflies and smiley faces) for anyone in need of hope. A small card is attached to each angel, indicating to the recipient that they are not alone, that someone cares, that they are in the thoughts and prayers of another.

How it works: Anyone can request that an angel be sent to a friend or loved one in need through their website. Angels for Hope volunteers commit to crochet one item per week (using official AFH patterns), and send it, at their expense, to a recipient in need of hope, as assigned by AFH administrators.

Other notes: Angels of Hope is a registered 501(c)(3) organization, which means that any expenses incurred in being a volunteer are deductible as charitable contributions.

My thoughts: When I first heard about this, I wasn't exactly sold on the idea. I mean, if I'm feeling ill or unhappy, or just tired of fighting, is a little crochet embellishment really going to help me out? But, as I've researched and found out more about it, I've become more of a believer. In 2009, Angels for Hope sent out 81,489 items to people in need of hope and cheer. That's a lot of people blessed by mere "crochet embellishments".

Sometimes I get caught up in the "utility" of the things I make. I mean, donated hats or a blankets serve very practical needs, and there is definitely a need for them in places all over the world. But, what about people who live in warm climates? What about people who have sufficient funds in their bank accounts to purchase their own hats and blankets, but are emotionally bankrupt, in need of love, cheer, or some reminder that they are not alone in the world? If a woman (or man) with a crochet hook and a skein of yarn can help with that need, is it any less worthy of a cause? Personally, I don't think so.

To be an Angel for Hope volunteer, there is a definite commitment. As you sign up, you basically agree to make and send one item, week in and week out. I was thinking that were I to volunteer, I could possibly work really hard for 2-3 days, make 10-15 items, and send one out each week, then repeat the process 10-15 weeks later. However, it looks like the "requesters" can specify a color of the item, and so my stockpile idea might not work.

I've got an e-mail in to Cindy Gabner, the President of the Organization, asking her that very question. If I find out more on that, I'll be sure to post it here.

Either way, I think the folks at Angels for Hope have found a creative way to spread a little cheer, and having a little more cheer in the world is always a good thing, right?

Friday, November 19, 2010

I'm pleased with how they came out. They're luxuriously soft, and although my personal color preference tends toward bright, vibrant colors; there's no denying that this beige/tan will match with nearly every coat ensemble, where a ruby red or peacock blue absolutely would not.

I still have some of this yarn left over from my mad Michael's buying spree, so I think I'm going to work up a few more scarves, but make them longer and thinner.

I've decided to share the pattern for this scarf here, even though I don't have a whole lot of experience with writing patterns, and I'm not sure I'll do it perfectly. The fact is, writing it up is good practice for me, and since it's absolutely free, I feel okay about the fact that it might not be written absolutely perfectly.

So, if you're feeling brave, get out your hook and follow along!

Charlotte's Half-Cable Scarf:Materials: 1 skein Lions Brand Homespun YarnHook size: I used an "I", but I crochet more loosely than anyone I've ever met, so you might want to try something a little smaller.Gauge: I never check the gauge. This sometimes gets me into trouble, but I still never learn. So no gauge here. Sorry.

Pattern:

Row 1: Ch 18 or so.

Row 2: Dc in third chain from hook, and all the way across, you should have 16 dc in row (The ch 2 at the beginning of this row does NOT count as one of your dc's) ch 2, (does not count as first dc), turn.)

Row 3: Dc in next three stitches, [FPdc around next dc 1 row below] three times, dc in next four stitches, [FPdc around next dc 1 row below] three times, dc in last three stitches, ch 2, turn.

Row 4: Dc in next three stitches, [BPdc around next FPdc 1 row below] three times, dc in next four stitches, [BPdc around next FPdc 1 row below] three times, dc in last three stitches, ch 2, turn.

Row 6: Dc in next three stitches, sk 1 stitch,[BPdc around next FPtrc 1 row below] three times, dc in next four stitches, [BPdc around next FPtrc 1 row below] three times, dc in last three stitches, ch 2, turn.

Row 7: Dc in next three stitches, [FPdc around next BPdc 1 row below] three times, dc in next four stitches, [FPdc around next BPdc 1 row below] three times, dc in last three stitches, ch 2, turn.

Row 8 : Dc in next three stitches, sk 1 stitch,[BPdc around next FPdc 1 row below] three times, dc in next four stitches, [BPdc around next FPdc 1 row below] three times, dc in last three stitches, ch 2, turn.

Row 9: Repeat Rows 7 & 8 until you feel like it's time for another "cable" (I usally repeat them 4-5 times each), then repeat rows 5-8 until the scarf is the length you want it to be.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

A few years ago, I gave several of my friends and family members crocheted scarves and hats at Christmastime. I had kind of forgotten about that, but a few days ago I was talking to my sister, and she reminded me of a set that I gave her. I used Lions Brand Homespun yarn, which ended up being a great choice. The yarn is soft and comforting, and because it's a bulky weight, everything works up super quickly. Best of all, since the yarn is acrylic, the items made from it are machine washable.

So, Saturday I was browsing around in Michael's (in high heeled boots and a skirt, with my impatient toddler girl and dragging-his-feet-and-being-obnoxious-while-trying-to-be-funny-all-at-the-same-time husband)(but that's another story), and discovered their entire stock of Homespun on sale! I took it as a sign from the good crochet fairy, and bought a bunch. I started on a scarf that evening, and will be making several more over the next week or so. Some will probably go for Christmas presents, and some will be for sale in my Etsy shop. But let's be honest for a second, shall we? At least two of them are going to go straight to me.

It's advertising, right? Surely it has nothing to do with the fact that my idea of winter heaven is to be able to wear a different scarf every day of the week if possible. Absolutely not. This is pure advertising.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

I'm pleased with how they've turned out. I don't have them all listed yet, but those that I have listed have been quite popular.

A few things I learned along the way:

-Upcycled yarn didn't work as well for these as the brand new stuff. See those black slippers? They were made from some yarn that I upcycled from a thrifted cotton sweater. The yarn ended up being a little more difficult to work with than the regular cotton yarn that I purchased to make the rest of the slippers.

-Having a few possible buttonholes on the attachment strap is easy, and a good idea. The pattern called for just one buttonhole (which was made by doing sc ch sc instead of sc sc sc), but after a few tries, I found that making three buttonholes was just as easy, and made the slippers more adjustable. Kind of like how sandals and belts have a few possible holes, you know?

And finally, (and most importantly for me)

-I am capable of making two slippers that are exactly (or close enough to exactly) the same size. Hooray! Charlotte scales another mountain and conquers another weakness! Yippee!!

And just for fun, here are few links to free slipper patterns on the web:

This one isn't free, but it's only $4, and it's the pattern I used for the slippers purchased here, and I think it's worth it. The woman who wrote and sells the pattern is from New Zealand, and I she used a few terms that weren't all that familiar to me, but I was able to figure it all out without too much trouble.

This monster eyes slipper pattern looks delightful! I can think of a few people for whom a pair of these would make a hilarious and most appreciated gift.

I'm personally not a huge fan of this particular picture, but if you made these Pilgrim slippers (on the left) in browns and tans, they might be just the thing for hanging out and watching the Thanksgiving Day football games.

This pattern for Cosy Crocheted Slippers (on the right) comes to us courtesy of Canadian Living. And really, who would know better about needing something nice and warm on your toes than those Canadians?

And there you have it! The extensive slipper update. Good luck with your slipper adventures, and if you have any luck (or any catastrophes that you want to commiserate over), please feel free to post about them here.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

(This doesn't have anything to do with crocheting, but it's kind of important so that the part that does have to do with crocheting makes sense.)

So, I have this friend. Her name is Lee and she's about 45 years older than I am. I met her when I was going to college. I was an 18-year old freshman, and she was a sixty-two year old woman who was taking as many music classes as she could. We were in choir together.

We kept in touch over the years as I moved from state to state and city to city. And then, one year, we lost touch with one another. I didn't know where she was, or whether she was even still living. For about two years I thought of her, tried to track her down, and wondered how she was.

And then one day, about a year ago, a mutual friend called me, and in the course of our conversation, she told me what was up with Lee. Specifically, she told me where she was living, what she was up to, and how I could get in touch with her.

The next time I was home, we met up. What a treat that was! She was 83 years old, and still as good-natured and courageous as ever. We had a really nice chat before I left, and we determined to start up our mail correspondence once again.

And now we come to the crochet part:

About four months ago, in one of my letters, I mentioned that I had opened an etsy shop, and that I was making quite a few hats as well as other items, and that I was enjoying it. Lee wrote me back, asking what kind of hats I had, and how much I was charging for them. In my next letter to her, I sent her a sheet with pictures of some of my more popular hats (but no prices).

She then wrote me back (you might think it would be more efficient to use the phone, but we're letter people), asking if I could send her one of my newsboy caps. She had found that as she was getting older, her hair was starting to break off on the ends. The fact that she put her hair in rollers every evening was compounding the problem, but she isn't the kind of person who feels comfortable not having her hair done, regardless of pretty much anything else.

So, her plan was to wear one of my newsboy caps on weekdays and Saturdays, and only roll her hair up for Sundays. She was hoping that by doing this, she could still feel pretty on the weekdays, AND slow the damage of her hair.

Naturally, I sent her two caps, one in blue and one in creme. (You would have done the same, I'm pretty sure.)

Well, from the next letter I received her, you would have thought I had sent her the moon on a string with a side of mozzarella cheese sticks. She was thrilled, and as I read her effusive letter, so was I.

I like to think of her, hanging out in a creation that came out of my own fingers, feeling stylish and pretty.

In fact, thinking of that scene in my head sometimes just makes my day.

Suddenly, I was very motivated to learn how to make slippers. I purchased this pattern from etsy.com, and got to work.

After a few mishaps in sizing, I finally got a couple of pairs that I felt good about, and sent them off. Melissa loves them. That gave me confidence to try to make some more. I've been making them for awhile now, and have about eight pairs in black, creme, white, red, green, yellow, and blue. I don't have pictures yet, (some of them still need trim and sewing work done) but when I do, I'll post them here.

One struggle I've had with slippers is sizing. It's all very well and good if I'm making a slipper to fit my size 8 1/2 foot, but not everyone has my size feet. So I've done a little sleuthing around, and I've found a size chart for socks (posted below, link here) that I'm hoping will help me out. I figure I'll use it to determine what sizes my slippers actually are (as some of them are too big for my foot, and some of them are definitely too small), and then do a few field tests.